Providing oxygen assistance to an infant is difficult because the infant struggles whenever a face mask or nasal cannulae, the typical methods of providing oxygen assistance to a patient, are secured around the infant's face.
The following constitute examples of providing such assistance to a child without having to use a face mask found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,520,809 (de Greef et al.) and 4,669,461 (Battaglia et al.).
The apparatus disclosed by de Greef is a pacifier having a teat and shield that delivers anesthesia to an infant by providing a passageway, on the back of the pacifier shield, which is connected to an external anesthesia source. The passageway has an entrance that is connected to the external anesthesia source and also has an outlet that dispenses the anesthesia in the vicinity of the infant's nose. This passageway widens from its entrance to its outlet. However, delivery of anesthesia in specific amounts requires a more controlled method other than simply having an outlet "blow" anesthesia around the entrance of the infant's nostrils. In particular, there is no way of determining the precise amount of anesthesia being delivered at the outlet; administering anesthesia without knowing the precise amount delivered can be dangerous.
The apparatus disclosed by Battaglia is a device for providing oxygen to an infant during nursing. In particular, this device basically comprises an adjustable cuff that can be coupled to a baby bottle or directly to the mother's breast. The cuff has a port that is coupled to an external oxygen source and an outlet that permits the oxygen to be dispensed in the vicinity of the infant's nose. The cuff can pivot to vary the size of the outlet and direction of the oxygen flow. However, this device requires attachment to a bottle or to the nursing mother's breast to operate and it is not designed to provide oxygen to the infant in situations other than nursing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,543 (Aulicono), there is disclosed a device for assisting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an adult, as well as a child or infant, who has stopped breathing. This device comprises a mouthpiece, a mouthshield and nostril tubes. One end of the mouthpiece is inserted into the non-breathing victim while the other end is inserted into the rescuer's mouth. The nostril tubes, which are coupled to the mouthpiece, are inserted into the victim's nostrils. The mouthshield, which surrounds the midsection of the mouthpiece, forms an air tight seal against the victim's mouth to prevent air from escaping when the mouthpiece is inserted into the victim's mouth. As the rescuer blows air through the mouthpiece, the air is forced down the mouthpiece and simultaneously up into the nostril tubes, thereby providing resuscitative air into the victim's airways. While such a device may be effective for assisting in reviving a victim who has stopped breathing, it appears to be less than effective for providing continuous oxygenation to an infant who is already breathing and conscious.
Although use of nasal cannulae in conjunction with a face mask has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 262,322 (Mizerak) or nasal cannulae used alone in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,446 (Timmons et. al) for oxygenating a patient, neither of these patents disclose the use of nasal cannulae used in conjunction with a pacifier for comfortably oxygenating an infant.